Russia calls for dialogue in Qatar crisis

MOSCOW: Russia called on Saturday for dialogue between Qatar and its neighbours in the Gulf, promising help in mediating the crisis, as Russia’s foreign minister met his Qatari counterpart.

“We have observed with concern the news of this escalation,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in opening remarks of his meeting with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani in Moscow.

“We cannot be happy in a situation when the relations between our partners are worsening. We are in favour of resolving any disagreements through… dialogue.”

Qatar is reaching out for support abroad as it has fallen out with its Arab neighbours, who accuse it of sponsoring extremist groups and resent its ties to the Muslim Brotherhood movement and sponsorship of Al-Jazeera network.